Feeding mechanism



Feb. 21, 1933. G; F, MATTESQN 3,398,979

FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed Dec. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 21, 1933.G. F1 MATTESQN ,898,979

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 NEX Feb. 21,1933. G F, MATTESON 1,898,979

FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed Dec. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheel'I 3 Patented Feb.2l, 1933 maan/9? nnnnrne MnonAnrsM Application nled December 20, 1928.Seralvo. 327,376.

' mechanisms that are employed for feeding articles for variouspurposes, in one of its forms it being particularly advantageous forfeeding spherical or similarly shaped articles, and an object of myinvention, among others, is the production of a feeding mechanism thatshall be capable of handlingv articles in a rapid and ef'cient manner.

Cine form of a vfeeding mechanism enibodying my invention and in theconstruction and use of whichthe vobjects herein set out, as well asothers, may be attainedisf illustrated in theaccompanying drawingsinwhichn l Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of my improved feeding.niechanisim with parts being broken away to show construction. Figure 2is an edge view of the same. Figure is a view, scale enlarged, invertical section on a plane passing 'through the aXisiof the rotaryfeeding member.

F'gure a is a side view, to the saine scale as Figure 3, with partsbeing broken away to show construction. l

Figure 5 isa detail View illustrating the manner of operation of theguiding table. Figure 6 is a detail view illustrating the constructionof the way for delivering articles to the forming member and on a planedenoted by the dotted line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a 'top' View of the table, delivery chute and way.

My improved feeding mechanism or device, While not limited in its use tohandling articles of any special form orpshape, is particularly adaptedfor use in manipulating articles of spherical or similar fori-.Furthermore, while it. is not limited to the feeding of articles for anyparticular purpose, yet, as l have found it especially ap#l plicable forhandling balls or Votlrer round or substantially round objects inconnection with grinding or other'forming devices, I have illustratedVsuch mechanism in the drawings herein in which the numeral 6 indicates acase or housing shaped to enclose a feeding member 7 rotatably mountedin. the case and formed with a chamber 8 to contain the articles to befed. This feeding member is substantially round as to a side view and ismounted preferably upon a horizontal aXis in the case or housing 6 andupon rollers 9 rotatably mounted in bearings in the side walls of thecase. The feeding member rests upon the rollers that are sep` aratedsuiiiciently to cause said member to retain its place on lthe rollers,said member being driven by frictional contact with the rollers. ln thestructure herein shown there is a pair of rollers located, one pair onthe opposite side of a vertical plane through the axis of the rotatingmember from the other pair. Each pair of rollers includes ay shafthaving a worm wheel 10 secured thereto and meshing with a worm 11whichworms are secured to or areformed as a part of a driving shaft 12mounted in bearings on the side of the case or housing at the lower partthereof and driven as by means of a pulley 13 secured to said shaft.

The wall of the chamber 8 in the feeding member is formed with a seriesof pocket-s llt extending crosswise of the feeding member and preferablydiagonal to radial lines, and as shown in'Figure 4 of the drawings. Away 15 is supported with one end in thek chamber 8 in the feedingmember, said Way extending out through a central opening 16 in the sideof the case 6. The opposite and lower end of said way is located inposition to ydeliver the articles, as balls, to such loca. tion as maybe desired. y This way consists of a base17 having a series ofsubstantially parallel grooves 18 forming paths along which the articlestravel. fr cover plate 19 is secured to the base to close the open sidesof the grooves to retain the articles 2O therein. V

En the illustration of use employed herein the articles of spherical orsimilar shape, in the present instance of metal, are delivered to agrinding or otherforining Adisc 21 that is mounted to rotate in anysuitable manner, not herein shown, and preferably on a horizontal axis,said disci having 'a series of grooves 22 concentrically arranged, andthe grooves in the way 15 preferably correspond in number to those inthe forming disc, soVV that each groove in the way is constantlydelivering a stream of articles to the formin disc, to one of the roovestherein.

In the operation of ormin spherical objects, and particularly metalicballs, it .is

5 desirable, in order to obtain uniformlty 1n size, to sub'ect the ballsto a series of oper ations b t e forming disc, and further, to obtain tis result in uniformit of size, it is important that each ball shatravel or be l operated u'pn in a different groove 1n the forming dlscat each succeeding operation. To effect this result the feedingmechanism is arranged, first, to deliver the balls to the forming discand then to collect them and repeat the operation as many times as maybe desired. l

Tothis end I provide a scoop 23 in the form 4of a trough with one edgein contact with the disc 21 whereby the balls are 3 scooped from grooves22 and are delivered by the trough into the chamber 8 in the feedingmember, the trough extending inwardly through the kopenin 16 into saidchamber, and as shown in igure 3 of the u* drawin The way 15 is providedwith a vcom aratively wide mouth 24 located under-neat the mouths of thepockets 14 when the latter are moved to the u per part of the chamberiSs in the -feed mem r, and a table 25 is located in an inclined,positionv to receive the balls from the pockets and guide them into themouth 24, andas shown in Figure 4. The table is provided on its uppersurface with A a series of grooves 26 preferably of the same number asand registering with those in the way 15,

' As a ready means for removin the balls from the chamber 8, andespecial y after an operation of forming them has been completed, Ilocate the table 25 as a cover for the mouth of a delivery chute 27 alsohaving a comparatively wide mouth at its'upperV end and terminating atube 28 at its lowerend, `which tube `projects outwardly through an eye29 in the side of the housing 6. The table is mounted on pivots 30 inopposite sides of the delivery chute and it has .o a unterweight 31projecting underneath it tpne A wire or cord 32 is secured at one end tothe underside of the table 25 and projects with its opposite end out ofthe lower end of the tube 28 to serve as a means un for 1tippi thetable, as into the position shown inuigure 5, to deliver the articles tothe tube 28, the oounterweight acting to return the table to its normalposition, as shown in Figure 4, when pull upon the cord 00 is relesed,

The chamber 8 may be supplied with a prgper .amount'of articles in anmanner deired. For instance, a porta le chute may be inserted throughthe eye V29 in the 5 case and through a registering holef33 in themember 7. Opposite the hole 33 the member 7 has a hole registering withthe opening 16, this hole 34 having a flange 35 extending into theopening 16 and as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

From this disclosure it is to be observed that the balls or otherarticles are placed in the feeding member in a disorderly condition andare delivered therefrom to the way 15 where the are deposited in anorderly manner. T is order is preserved in the travel of the articlesalong the way 15, into and around the forming disc 21 until they reachthe scoop 23. Here the articles are collected and are promptly mixed anddisarranged by the scoop by which the arc delivered to the member 7 inthis disor ered condition and by which member 7 they are furtherdisarranged for a repeated delivery to the way 15, the operation beingthus repeated for such number of operations as may be desired toetfect aproper formation of the articles. n

It is a practical impossibility to obtain the same result on all ballsformed in different grooves in the forming disc and, therefore, if eachball traveled in the same path at each operation, only those thattraveled in the same paths would have the same form. By mixil thearticles up nndcaus ing them to travi in different aths at successiveoperations a substantial y and roctically uniformity in shape is obtainefor all of the articles.

In .order to prevent an'accumulation of articles in the 'mouth 24 of theway, I provide an overow in the form of a slot 36 in the back of theyway, approximately at the throat of the mouth 24 so that should thearticles be delivered to any of the paths or grooves 18 faster than theyare removed therefrom at the lower end, as soon as a path or groeve isfilled up to the slot 36,. any accumulation thereafter will bedischarged through said slot and fall into the bottom of the feedingmember to be again taken up in the manner hereinbefore described.

It will be noted that the Way provides for the travel of articlesindifferent and separate paths after they are delivered into the mouth24, in the particular arrangement herein shown a plate having groovesfor travel of the articles being employed, but I contemplate other meansand arrangements whereby the articles may be caused to travel in dierentpaths, my invention not being limi-ted to the exact construction hereinshown. It will also be understood that anrangements other than the rollsand the friction drive for rotatingthe feeding mem ber may be employedwithout departing from the spirit and intent of the invention.

In accordance with .the provisions of the patent statutes I havedescribed the principles of operation of `my invention, together withthe device Which I now consider to represent the best embodimentthereof; but l desire to have it understood that the device shown isonly illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out by othermeans and applied to uses other than those above set out.

claim:

l. A feeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted feeding memberhaving a chamber with an opening therefrom, pockets located in the Wallof said chamber to pick up articles from the bottom thereof, a Wayextending into said chamber through said opening and supported in afixed position independent of the feeding member to receive articles asthey fall from said pockets, said Way having grooves forming paths, atable supported to receive articles from said pockets and guide theminto said Way, and

grooves formed in the surface of said table l and registering with thegrooves in said Way and said table-being shiftable to a position out ofcommunication with the Way.

2. A feeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted feeding memberhaving a chamber With openings thereto from opposite sides of saidchamber, pockets located in the Wall of said chamber to pick up articlesfrom the bottom thereof, a Way projecting through one of said openingsinto the chamber and supported in fixed position to receive articles asthey fall from said pockets, a delivery chutev projecting through theother opening into said chamber to receive articles as they fall fromsaid pockets,

and means for delivering said articles either to said Way or saiddelivery chute.

3. A feeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mountedv feeding memberhaving a chamber with anV opening thereto, pockets formed in the Wall ofsaid chamber, a Way extending into said chamber and fixedly positionedto receive articles as they fall from said pockets, ay delivery chuteprojecting into said chamber and iXedly positioned to receive articlesas they fall from said pockets, and a table pivotally mountedto, in onep0- sition, guide articles into said Way, and 'when tipped to anotherposition, tov guide said articles into said delivery chute.

a. A feeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted feedingmember'having a chamber with an opening thereto, a Way suspended Withinsaid chamber to receive and deliver articles out of said chamber, amember to act upon said articles delivered from saidway, meanspositioned to receive said articles from said member and conduct thembach to said chamber and controllable means at the receiving end of theWay for delivery of the articles from said chamber at another point.

5. A feeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted feeding memberhaving a chamber therein, a Way xedly positioned to receive articles andconduct them from said chamber, a member to act upon said articlesdelivered thereto by said Way, and a scoop positioned in the path ofmovement of articles in said second named member to scoop up saidarticles and return them into said chamber and controllable means forfinally delivering the articles from the chamberat another point.

6. A feeding mechanism comprising a ron tatably mounted feeding memberhaving a chamber, a Way positioned to collect articles from said chamberand guide them therefrom, a member to act upon articles delivered fromsaidchamber, means for collecting articles from said member to deliverthem Within said chamber, andmeans for finally conducting articles fromsaidchamber.`

7. A feeding'L mechanism comprising a rotatably mountedv feeding memberhaving a chamber to contain supply of articlesin 'the bottom thereof,means for rotating said iember, pockets located in the Wall of saidchamber each to piclr up articlesfrom the bottom of the chamber andcarry them upwardly therein, and a vvay projecting into said chamberwith its inner end positioned to receive articles as they fall from`said pockets, means to act upon the articles and return them to thechamber andcontrollable means for final removal of the articles from thechamber independently of the Way.

8. A feeding mechanism comprising a case, a feeding member rotatablymounted in the case and comprising a peripherally closed chamber withpoclrets formed in the inner Wall of said chamber and projectinginwardly, and a vvay projecting into the interior of said chamber andpositioned to receive articles as they fall from said pockets,

and said Way having a cut-out portion permitting return to the chamberof excess ar-v ticles received from said pockets.

9. A feeding mechanism comprising a case, a fee-ding member rotatablymounted in the case and comprising a peripherally closed chamber havingpockets formed in the inner Wall of said chamber and opening intotheinterior thereof, and a Way projecting through the side of saidchamber and positioned in the interior thereof and having groovesforming a plurality of parts to receive articles as they fall fromeither of said poclrets, and said Way having a cut-out portionpermitting return to the chamber of excess articles received from saidpockets.

10. Afeeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted feeding .memberhaving a peripherally closed chamber With an opening in the axis of saidchamber, means for rotating said member, pockets formed in the innerWall of said chamber and projecting thereinto, and a Way projectingthrough Said Opening into the interior of said chamber ,underlying saidpockets to receive artioles as they fall from either of said pockets,said way having a cut-out portion per- .l mitting return to the chamberof excess articles received from said pockets, and controllable meansassociated with the Way for delivery of articles from the chamberindependently of the way. l0 11. A feeding mechanism comprising arotatably mounted feeding member having a periplherally closed chamberwith an opening t erefrom, means for rotating' said chamber, pocketsformed in the inner Wall M of said chamber and projecting thereinto andextending across the eedingrmember from side to side, and a wayextending through said opening and supported within the interior of saidchamber in a fixed position 20 therein said Way having grooves locatedside by side for the reception of articles falling through space fromeach Aof said pockets into each of said grooves and controllable meansassociated with the way for delivery 35 of articles from the chamberindependently of the way.

`12. A feeding mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted feeding memberhaving a peripherally closed chamber therein with *0. openingstherefromand with pockets formed in the inner Wall of said chamber andopening thereinto, a way projecting through one of said openings andpositioned Within the interior of said chamber and supported in a ufixed position to receive articles as they fall directly kfrom all ofsaid pockets on to said way, means for guiding articles into the mouthof said way and controllable means associated with the way for deliveryof arti- V4" cles from the chamber independently of the way through theother opening.

GEORGE F. MATTESON.

